Business Employment Dynamics in South Dakota — Fourth Quarter 2024

From September 2024 to December 2024, gross job gains from opening and expanding private-sector establishments were 25,412, while gross job losses from closing and contracting private-sector establishments in South Dakota were 22,744, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Acting Regional Commissioner Julie Wilson noted that the difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses yielded a net employment gain of 2,668 jobs in the private sector during the fourth quarter of 2024. (See table 1.) During the previous quarter, gross job gains exceeded gross job losses by 144. (See chart 1.)

Line chart of private-sector gross job gains and losses in South Dakota, December 2019 to 2024. An accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in South Dakota, December 2019–December 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Dec 2019	22,877	20,550
Mar 2020	21,182	23,922
Jun 2020	17,622	39,357
Sep 2020	29,372	18,638
Dec 2020	25,185	21,249
Mar 2021	25,650	21,084
Jun 2021	24,041	20,600
Sep 2021	23,684	22,904
Dec 2021	26,063	21,500
Mar 2022	28,109	22,358
Jun 2022	24,282	24,126
Sep 2022	26,614	23,631
Dec 2022	23,907	23,844
Mar 2023	27,190	21,824
Jun 2023	25,446	22,861
Sep 2023	23,680	24,063
Dec 2023	25,014	22,271
Mar 2024	24,201	22,300
Jun 2024	22,857	24,131
Sep 2024	22,296	22,152
Dec 2024	25,412	22,744

The change in the number of jobs over time is the net result of increases and decreases in employment that occur at all private businesses in the economy. Business Employment Dynamics (BED) statistics track these changes in employment at private-sector establishments from the third month of one quarter to the third month of the next. The difference between the number of gross job gains and the number of gross job losses is the net change in employment. (See the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.)

Gross job gains

In the fourth quarter of 2024, gross job gains represented 6.7 percent of private-sector employment in South Dakota; nationally, gross job gains accounted for 5.8 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 2.) Gross job gains are the sum of increases in employment due to expansions at existing establishments and the addition of new jobs at opening establishments. In South Dakota, gross job gains at expanding establishments totaled 20,173 in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 1,648 jobs compared to the previous quarter. Opening establishments accounted for 5,239 jobs gained in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 1,468 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 2. Private-sector gross job gains as a percent of employment, United States and South Dakota, December 2019–December 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	South Dakota	United States
Dec 2019	6.4	6.2
Mar 2020	5.9	5.5
Jun 2020	5.1	4.8
Sep 2020	8.6	9.5
Dec 2020	7.2	7.4
Mar 2021	7.3	6.9
Jun 2021	6.8	6.8
Sep 2021	6.6	7.3
Dec 2021	7.2	7.7
Mar 2022	7.7	6.7
Jun 2022	6.6	6.5
Sep 2022	7.3	6.9
Dec 2022	6.5	6.3
Mar 2023	7.3	6.3
Jun 2023	6.7	6.2
Sep 2023	6.3	5.9
Dec 2023	6.6	6.0
Mar 2024	6.3	5.7
Jun 2024	6.0	5.8
Sep 2024	5.9	5.8
Dec 2024	6.7	5.8

Gross job losses

In the fourth quarter of 2024, gross job losses represented 5.9 percent of private-sector employment in South Dakota; nationally, gross job losses accounted for 5.7 percent of private-sector employment. (See chart 3.) Gross job losses are the result of contractions in employment at existing establishments and the loss of jobs at closing establishments. In South Dakota, contracting establishments lost 18,905 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of 440 jobs from the prior quarter. Closing establishments lost 3,839 jobs, an increase of 152 jobs from the previous quarter.

View Chart Data

Chart 3. Private-sector gross job losses as a percent of employment, United States and South Dakota, December 2019–December 2024, seasonally adjusted
Period	South Dakota	United States
Dec 2019	5.8	5.5
Mar 2020	6.7	6.3
Jun 2020	11.4	16.8
Sep 2020	5.5	5.9
Dec 2020	6.1	5.7
Mar 2021	6.0	5.5
Jun 2021	5.8	5.9
Sep 2021	6.4	6.1
Dec 2021	5.9	5.4
Mar 2022	6.1	5.5
Jun 2022	6.5	6.2
Sep 2022	6.4	5.9
Dec 2022	6.5	5.9
Mar 2023	5.9	5.5
Jun 2023	6.0	5.9
Sep 2023	6.3	6.0
Dec 2023	5.8	5.7
Mar 2024	5.8	5.4
Jun 2024	6.3	5.9
Sep 2024	5.9	5.8
Dec 2024	5.9	5.7

Industries

Gross job gains exceeded gross job losses in 3 of the 7 published industry sectors in South Dakota in the fourth quarter of 2024. Leisure and hospitality had the largest over-the-quarter net job increase, with a gain of 1,787 jobs. This was the result of 6,640 gross job gains and 4,853 gross job losses. The construction industry had a net gain of 676 jobs. Professional and business services showed a net loss of 445 jobs, the largest loss of any sector in the state. South Dakota’s retail trade industry sector had a net loss of 370 jobs, and financial activities had a net loss of 308 jobs.

For more information

The BED data series include gross job gains and gross job losses by industry subsector, for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, as well as gross job gains and gross job losses at the firm level by employer size class. BED data for the states have been included in table 2 of this release. Additional information is available online at the Business Employment Dynamics homepage and the Business Employment Dynamics Summary.

The Business Employment Dynamics for First Quarter 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Revisions to Business Employment Dynamics (BED) Data

The release of First Quarter 2025 Business Employment Dynamics data, scheduled for October 29, 2025, will incorporate annual revisions in accordance with standard procedures. The revisions will include the previous four quarters of not seasonally adjusted data and five years of seasonally adjusted data.

Technical Note

The Business Employment Dynamics (BED) data are a product of a federal-state cooperative program known as Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). The BED data are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from existing QCEW records.

More information on formal definitions of the data used in this release, along with coverage, concepts, and methodology, can be found in the Business Employment Dynamics Technical Note.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses by industry, South Dakota, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains and losses (3 months ended)					Gross job gains and losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024
Total private (1)
Gross job gains	25,014	24,201	22,857	22,296	25,412	6.6	6.3	6.0	5.9	6.7
At expanding establishments	20,358	19,417	18,981	18,525	20,173	5.4	5.1	5.0	4.9	5.3
At opening establishments	4,656	4,784	3,876	3,771	5,239	1.2	1.2	1.0	1.0	1.4
Gross job losses	22,271	22,300	24,131	22,152	22,744	5.8	5.8	6.3	5.9	5.9
At contracting establishments	18,376	18,808	20,793	18,465	18,905	4.8	4.9	5.4	4.9	4.9
At closing establishments	3,895	3,492	3,338	3,687	3,839	1.0	0.9	0.9	1.0	1.0
Net employment change (2)	2,743	1,901	-1,274	144	2,668	0.8	0.5	-0.3	0.0	0.8
Construction
Gross job gains	3,122	3,700	2,687	3,159	3,464	10.9	12.2	9.2	11.1	11.7
At expanding establishments	2,466	2,855	2,198	2,584	2,803	8.6	9.4	7.5	9.1	9.5
At opening establishments	656	845	489	575	661	2.3	2.8	1.7	2.0	2.2
Gross job losses	2,634	2,885	3,929	2,703	2,788	9.1	9.6	13.4	9.6	9.5
At contracting establishments	2,143	2,439	3,318	2,176	2,284	7.4	8.1	11.3	7.7	7.8
At closing establishments	491	446	611	527	504	1.7	1.5	2.1	1.9	1.7
Net employment change (2)	488	815	-1,242	456	676	1.8	2.6	-4.2	1.5	2.2
Wholesale trade
Gross job gains	1,156	1,061	1,030	855	889	5.1	4.7	4.6	3.8	4.0
At expanding establishments	944	872	872	744	741	4.2	3.9	3.9	3.3	3.3
At opening establishments	212	189	158	111	148	0.9	0.8	0.7	0.5	0.7
Gross job losses	859	1,040	983	1,028	932	3.9	4.6	4.4	4.6	4.1
At contracting establishments	734	836	847	894	746	3.3	3.7	3.8	4.0	3.3
At closing establishments	125	204	136	134	186	0.6	0.9	0.6	0.6	0.8
Net employment change (2)	297	21	47	-173	-43	1.2	0.1	0.2	-0.8	-0.1
Retail trade
Gross job gains	2,944	3,117	3,001	3,031	2,702	5.5	5.8	5.5	5.6	5.0
At expanding establishments	2,666	2,695	2,675	2,661	2,417	5.0	5.0	4.9	4.9	4.5
At opening establishments	278	422	326	370	285	0.5	0.8	0.6	0.7	0.5
Gross job losses	3,127	2,738	2,740	2,849	3,072	5.8	5.1	5.0	5.2	5.7
At contracting establishments	2,849	2,508	2,449	2,519	2,799	5.3	4.7	4.5	4.6	5.2
At closing establishments	278	230	291	330	273	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.5
Net employment change (2)	-183	379	261	182	-370	-0.3	0.7	0.5	0.4	-0.7
Financial activities
Gross job gains	1,039	1,083	1,152	976	940	3.8	4.0	4.2	3.6	3.5
At expanding establishments	791	806	907	803	670	2.9	3.0	3.3	3.0	2.5
At opening establishments	248	277	245	173	270	0.9	1.0	0.9	0.6	1.0
Gross job losses	1,208	1,254	979	1,145	1,248	4.4	4.7	3.7	4.2	4.6
At contracting establishments	870	964	828	946	1,006	3.2	3.6	3.1	3.5	3.7
At closing establishments	338	290	151	199	242	1.2	1.1	0.6	0.7	0.9
Net employment change (2)	-169	-171	173	-169	-308	-0.6	-0.7	0.5	-0.6	-1.1
Professional and business services
Gross job gains	2,608	2,882	3,084	2,834	2,845	7.0	7.8	8.3	7.6	7.6
At expanding establishments	1,774	2,040	2,351	2,052	2,084	4.8	5.5	6.3	5.5	5.6
At opening establishments	834	842	733	782	761	2.2	2.3	2.0	2.1	2.0
Gross job losses	3,271	2,729	2,784	2,781	3,290	8.8	7.4	7.5	7.4	8.8
At contracting establishments	2,407	2,103	2,192	2,092	2,445	6.5	5.7	5.9	5.6	6.5
At closing establishments	864	626	592	689	845	2.3	1.7	1.6	1.8	2.3
Net employment change (2)	-663	153	300	53	-445	-1.8	0.4	0.8	0.2	-1.2
Leisure and hospitality
Gross job gains	5,756	5,865	5,038	5,117	6,640	11.6	11.5	10.0	10.4	13.1
At expanding establishments	4,576	4,532	4,016	4,092	4,819	9.2	8.9	8.0	8.3	9.5
At opening establishments	1,180	1,333	1,022	1,025	1,821	2.4	2.6	2.0	2.1	3.6
Gross job losses	4,912	5,296	5,912	5,192	4,853	9.9	10.4	11.8	10.5	9.6
At contracting establishments	4,067	4,280	5,205	4,253	4,066	8.2	8.4	10.4	8.6	8.0
At closing establishments	845	1,016	707	939	787	1.7	2.0	1.4	1.9	1.6
Net employment change (2)	844	569	-874	-75	1,787	1.7	1.1	-1.8	-0.1	3.5
Other services (3)
Gross job gains	979	1,026	1,000	897	909	7.6	7.9	7.6	6.8	7.0
At expanding establishments	810	807	812	748	727	6.3	6.2	6.2	5.7	5.6
At opening establishments	169	219	188	149	182	1.3	1.7	1.4	1.1	1.4
Gross job losses	785	861	885	1,012	877	6.1	6.6	6.8	7.8	6.7
At contracting establishments	642	733	679	820	721	5.0	5.6	5.2	6.3	5.5
At closing establishments	143	128	206	192	156	1.1	1.0	1.6	1.5	1.2
Net employment change (2)	194	165	115	-115	32	1.5	1.3	0.8	-1.0	0.3
Footnotes: (1) Includes unclassified sector not shown separately. (2) The net employment change is the difference between total gross job gains and total gross job losses. See the Technical Note for further information. (3) Except public administration.

Table 2. Private-sector gross job gains and losses as a percent of total employment by state, seasonally adjusted
Category	Gross job gains as a percent of employment (3 months ended)					Gross job losses as a percent of employment (3 months ended)
Category	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024	Dec. 2023	Mar. 2024	June 2024	Sept. 2024	Dec. 2024
United States(1)	6.0	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.8	5.7
Alabama	6.2	5.7	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.9	5.3
Alaska	10.2	10.5	10.2	7.9	10.3	9.9	8.6	9.6	9.7	9.6
Arizona	6.5	8.4	5.6	6.3	6.1	6.6	6.4	6.8	6.5	6.0
Arkansas	6.2	5.6	5.2	5.2	5.8	5.0	5.2	5.8	5.2	4.8
California	6.4	5.8	6.1	6.4	6.6	6.4	5.6	6.8	6.1	6.4
Colorado	8.2	6.4	6.5	6.3	6.1	7.6	7.7	6.2	6.7	6.7
Connecticut	5.6	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.5	5.7	5.2	5.6	5.7	5.6
Delaware	6.1	6.0	5.9	6.8	6.1	5.8	5.1	6.5	6.4	6.4
District of Columbia	5.2	5.1	5.1	4.9	5.0	5.6	4.9	6.0	5.0	5.5
Florida	6.1	5.8	6.0	6.6	6.0	5.9	5.4	5.9	5.7	6.2
Georgia	6.2	6.0	5.7	5.7	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	6.1	5.4
Hawaii	6.1	5.4	5.1	5.6	5.3	5.0	5.1	5.4	5.0	4.9
Idaho	8.5	7.9	7.5	7.2	8.2	5.8	8.3	7.4	7.6	6.8
Illinois	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.0	5.1	5.1	4.8	5.3	5.1	5.2
Indiana	5.5	5.3	5.2	5.3	5.4	5.1	5.0	5.5	5.4	5.2
Iowa	6.1	6.1	5.5	5.2	5.5	5.7	5.6	5.7	6.0	5.6
Kansas	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.3	5.9	5.3	5.6	5.7	5.6	5.2
Kentucky	5.7	5.7	5.2	5.4	5.3	5.2	5.0	5.9	5.5	5.5
Louisiana	6.3	6.2	5.7	6.1	6.2	5.8	5.7	6.3	5.8	5.4
Maine	7.4	7.2	7.3	6.2	6.7	7.0	6.1	7.0	7.0	7.0
Maryland	6.2	5.8	7.2	6.1	6.0	5.8	5.7	6.5	6.1	5.9
Massachusetts	5.5	5.2	5.7	4.9	5.3	5.5	5.1	5.6	5.8	5.6
Michigan	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.8	6.0
Minnesota	6.9	5.8	5.7	5.1	5.5	6.9	5.7	5.4	5.9	5.1
Mississippi	6.1	5.7	5.8	6.1	6.3	5.7	6.1	6.3	5.7	6.4
Missouri	6.0	5.7	5.6	5.5	5.7	5.6	5.3	5.8	5.8	5.3
Montana	8.8	8.1	7.9	7.3	8.4	7.2	7.5	7.6	8.1	7.8
Nebraska	5.9	5.8	5.4	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.1	5.6	5.6	5.5
Nevada	6.7	5.9	5.8	6.1	6.2	5.4	6.2	5.7	5.9	5.8
New Hampshire	6.2	6.5	6.1	5.5	6.3	5.9	5.8	6.0	6.7	5.9
New Jersey	5.9	5.5	5.9	5.3	6.0	5.8	5.4	5.4	5.8	5.3
New Mexico	6.9	6.0	6.0	6.2	5.8	5.8	6.0	6.3	6.3	5.9
New York	5.7	5.9	5.9	5.6	5.6	5.6	5.0	5.5	5.7	5.5
North Carolina	6.3	5.4	5.6	5.6	6.1	4.9	5.5	5.7	6.1	5.5
North Dakota	6.7	6.9	6.6	6.5	6.5	6.3	6.1	6.6	6.6	6.7
Ohio	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.1	5.4	5.2	4.8	5.4	5.4	5.1
Oklahoma	6.1	5.6	5.6	6.0	5.9	5.8	5.2	6.4	5.6	5.4
Oregon	6.2	6.4	6.0	6.3	6.2	6.2	6.1	6.4	6.6	6.8
Pennsylvania	5.2	5.1	4.9	5.1	5.2	4.8	4.6	5.1	5.1	4.8
Rhode Island	6.8	6.9	6.6	6.2	7.2	6.3	5.7	6.7	6.5	6.3
South Carolina	6.2	6.4	5.9	6.2	6.5	5.3	6.3	6.4	5.9	6.0
South Dakota	6.6	6.3	6.0	5.9	6.7	5.8	5.8	6.3	5.9	5.9
Tennessee	6.2	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.5	4.9	5.7	5.8	5.0
Texas	5.7	5.4	5.4	5.6	5.8	5.2	5.1	5.3	5.3	5.1
Utah	6.6	6.7	6.4	6.6	6.6	6.5	6.0	6.6	6.1	6.2
Vermont	7.3	7.2	6.6	6.6	6.7	6.6	6.3	7.5	7.3	6.8
Virginia	5.9	5.7	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.5	5.5
Washington	6.0	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.4	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.3
West Virginia	6.5	6.9	6.6	5.8	6.4	5.8	5.7	6.8	6.6	6.1
Wisconsin	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.0	5.3	5.2	4.8	5.5	5.4	5.0
Wyoming	8.9	8.4	8.2	8.6	8.8	8.4	8.3	9.0	9.0	8.4
Puerto Rico	4.9	5.4	5.6	5.4	4.4	4.8	4.6	4.9	5.1	5.5
Virgin Islands	6.0	5.6	4.3	4.4	4.0	5.9	4.5	5.1	6.1	12.6
Footnotes (1) Totals for the United States do not include data for Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands. The sum of the states will not necessarily add to the U.S. total because of the independent seasonal adjustment of each state.

Last Modified Date: Thursday, August 14, 2025

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Business Employment Dynamics in South Dakota — Fourth Quarter 2024